In December 2008, Italian fashion brand United Colors of Benetton launched the international competition Designing in Teheran to develop a design for two multistory buildings in Iran’s capital city of Teheran. Designers were called to integrate the new structures in the local urban and commercial setting while taking in account cultural and technical aspects. The two new towers will house Benetton offices, as well as retail space.

From the competition brief: “Teheran in Persian means “going downwards”. Indeed, the ancient city was first established on an upland plateau before gradually developing downhill in subsequent years to become the metropolis it is today. Expansion of the city was rapid and uncontrolled, but unlike in other cases of massive development, the wealthy population moved out of the old town, whilst the poorer classes remained there. The city now has over 11 million inhabitants and is the country’s main industrial, political and socio-cultural centre. [...] The Designing in Teheran contest seeks to stimulate innovative ideas that will convey these messages of modernity and attention to the architectural and environmental quality of the retail spaces in a constantly evolving metropolis.”

The jury, comprised of Odile Decq, Cino Zucchi, Makio Hasuike, Tobia Scarpa, Luis Pereira Miguel, Tatiana Sambo, and Michele Zanella, now selected three designs for tower A and B, before going on to proclaim one winner for A and one for B.

Bercy Chen Studio: Our concept revolved around the notions of recycling a building, reusing natural and manmade resources and reclaiming the ancient ideal that buildings can and should be sacred places, especially the home.
The project began as a modest remodel, but turned into a full master-planning for the site; including complete interior and exterior recycle, an addition to an existing 1970’s home, as well as re-organization of the garden. As the original house was poorly sited, a large motivation of the design was to reconnect the house with its site by utilizing the steep topography to capture the expansive views.
One goal was to integrate the architecture with the native garden and creek at the bottom of the property. To fully enjoy the reclaimed views, the house is wrapped by exterior decks with glass railings. The inspiration is kiyomizu temple in kyoto, japan, (founded 7th century a.d.) which sits above the landscape and provides panoramic views of the city.